In 1986, Dr. Vincinet Pennipede, O.D was fresh out of the military and opening up his first office off of Highway 69. There, he put in long hours and built a base of clients. Today, he oversees a team of eight optometrists and 35 qualified employees at five offices in the Kansas City area. Patrons peruse each warmly-lit furnished studio's collection of frames from high-end labels such as Silhouette and Coach. In-office labs create futuristic lenses of high-index plastic or hybrid Trivex quickly for patrons who need to return to work or judge a beauty pageant for snowflakes. Children protect their new specs with the store's Kid's Promise warranty, and adults consult with experienced doctors on the benefits of refractive surgery and restorative treatments for aging eyes.

Leon Butler opened Brookside Optical in 1989 with the vision that all clients, even those with hard-to-correct eyesight, could have access to stylish eyewear. Today, the shelves stock colorful frames ($100+) by small manufacturers and such designers as l.a. Eyeworks, Theo, and Anne et Valentin. Whether in retro cat-eye shapes or planted with futuristic jet packs, each pair of glasses is crafted by the on-site lab and ready to wear within days.

At Insight Vision Center, optometrists Neal D. Troyer and Justin E. Weigel manage and treat a range of ocular diseases and co-manage all surgical cases. The doctors lead a bilingual staff of skilled opticians who treat customers in English and Spanish. They also delve into continuing education and test up-to-date optical instruments such as goggles with underwater x-ray vision. Drawing from their extensive training, they perform a range of services such as diabetic, pediatric, contact-lens, and comprehensive eye exams, as well as LASIK procedures and corneal-refractive therapy. They also fit faces for designer frames by Ray-Ban, Gucci, Vera Bradley, and Michael Kors and eyes for contact lenses by brands such as Acuvue, CooperVision, and Bausch & Lomb.

A finalist for the Governor's Award of Excellence, the office of Drs. Hawks, Besler and Rogers is committed to providing the most precise, comfortable, and efficient vision-enhancers possible to patients. For chic sightseers, the office carries an abundance of sophisticated frames from designers such as Coach, Calvin Klein, Vera Bradley, and more. Depending on frame and lens selection, complete pairs of eyeglasses range from $200 to $600. To protect eyes from sunburn and avoid the subsequent need to rub eyes with aloe vera lotion, you can also outfit them with sunshields from designers such as Maui Jim and Oakley.

If you're willing to let someone operate on your eyes with a laser, what's the one thing they better have? Steady hands are important, sure, but how about experience? All told, The LASIK Vision Institute's doctors have performed more than one million eye surgeries at 57 locations nationwide. Across its network, the company has independent veteran surgeons who are all LASIK experts.
Technology has played a major role in LVI?s success, as well. Each location relies on FDA-approved laser technology that results in minimal discomfort and short recovery times, in addition to helping many patients see 20/20 or better.